Another week into the new year and there is lots of news to share. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has us very excited for what the year will bring. Plus, exciting news from Facebook. Your week in two minutes starts now!

triple j and AIME

Australia’s hottest youth radio station triple j has teamed up with AIME - a school mentoring program closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australian students. Jack Manning Bancroft, AIME founder and CEO, is very savvy; digital campaigns, analytics and social media are pivotal to AIME’s influence. triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown this year will highlight AIME’s objective of reaching 10,000 kids by 2018.

Tesla Goes for a Parking Spot

If you’ve ever struggled to get out of your car after parking in a space that’s too small, you’ll appreciate this new feature from electric car manufacturer, Tesla. The ‘Summon’ function means you can now watch from the curb as your car parks itself. No more contortions.

Facebook Messenger 2016

Messenger hit a milestone over the holidays, attracting over 800 million active monthly users on the platform. Making what started as an adjunct app to Facebook the fastest growing app of 2015. In the coming year, the app is likely to be supercharged. It already lets some users shop, pay, talk, track packages and hail Ubers. The likely addition of still-in-testing virtual assistant ‘M’ in 2016 will only help fuel the fire. We’re wondering when and how it will open to advertisers.

The Little Things at CES

If CES is anything to go by, drones, VR, wearables and futuristic cars will continue to make headlines in 2016. Digital health and home automation were also big players as companies unveiled smart everything from cameras to sound systems. However, our favourite item came from an unexpected source. Toy company, Lego revealed WeDo 2.0, a robotics kit designed for elementary school kids. Quite naturally, we can’t wait to get our hands on it.

The Cost of VR

Facebook-owned Oculus has finally released a price for its first product - the much-anticipated VR headset, Oculus Rift. The new gadget will cost gaming enthusiasts $599 US. It’s also available bundled with a suitable gaming PC at $1,499. With Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg calling it the next computing platform, uptake is being heavily monitored. Immersive experiences could take on a whole new level.

Games to Reality

In case you were thinking of dismissing VR as a gimmick for the gaming community, surgeons in Miami are crediting Google Cardboard with helping them plan and prep a complex surgical procedure. Doctors performing life-saving heart surgery on a baby girl say they couldn’t have envisioned the procedure otherwise. Not bad for a $25 gadget.